IOR launches website

Vatican city, 01 August 2013: On Wednesday the Institute for Religious Works – otherwise know by the acronym of its Italian title, IOR – launched its website: www.ior.va.

In an interview with Vatican Radio’s Bernd Hagenkord, IOR president Ernst von Freyberg spoke about the objectives of this new website. Listen:

“In May we said we would focus over the coming months on transparency and on the Moneyval process, that is the anti-money laundering obligations which the Vatican has accepted in the EU reparative framework."

“It is an important part of transparency to launch a website,” he said, explaining that its purpose “is to tell our customers, the Church, the interested public, what we are doing, how our reform efforts are progressing, and what the scope of our work is.”

Von Feyberg said that he and all employees have worked hard in recent weeks “to have the IOR as transparent, efficient, completely compliant institute following the highest regulatory and professional standards.”

“We wish to create options for the Holy Father to decide later in this year how he wishes to organize our activities going forward,” he said.

He continued: “We consider the journalists and the media our key intermediaries with the public, but also with those in the church who are interested in our work. And we hope that this website will also create a platform to communicate with journalists and the media.”

“On our website you will find an explanation of our activity, a brief summary of our history, a description of our reform efforts, and details of those who are in charge of the governance of IOR.”Source: VR Eng